Encinal County, Texas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Encinal County
U.S. county
Map of Webb and Enicinal Counties in 1895
Location within the U.S. state of Texas
Texas's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Texas
Existed	1856–1899
Named for	Spanish word for oak grove
Population  (1890)
• Total	2,744

Encinal County was a county in Texas that existed for a while but was never fully set up. Think of it as a "ghost county" that was planned but never truly came to life. Today, the land that was supposed to be Encinal County is part of Webb County.

History of Encinal County

Encinal County was officially created on February 1, 1856. It was meant to cover the eastern part of what is now Webb County. The law that created the county also said it should have a main town, called a county seat, which would also be named Encinal. However, this county seat was never actually built.

The town of Encinal that exists today is in a different county, La Salle County. It wasn't even called Encinal when Encinal County was first planned.

Because the county was never fully organized or set up with its own government, it was eventually absorbed back into Webb County. This happened on March 12, 1899. If Encinal County had been fully established, the community of Ranchitos Las Lomas might have been its county seat.

Where Was Encinal County?

The Texas state law that created Encinal County described its borders. It was planned to be in a specific area of South Texas.

Here are the counties that would have been next to Encinal County:

• La Salle County (to the north)
• Duval County (to the east)
• Zapata County (to the south)
• Webb County (to the west)

Population of Encinal County

Even though Encinal County was never fully organized, the U.S. Census still collected some population numbers for the area during the years it officially existed. These numbers show how many people lived in the area that was designated as Encinal County.